September 2015

Monthly Archive

Press Release From Chief Wishart

Posted by Sgt O on 19 Sep 2015 | Tagged as: general

gpdpatch

September 18, 2015

The situation regarding Chief Francis Fox has placed my officer, my department and me in a situation that has been depicted inaccurately. I have received several questions and criticisms and have tried to answer them all in a responsible and honest manner.

Some questions remain that I believe need to be explained. First, why didn’t I disclose this incident to the Town of Belchertown? I fully expected this to come out and believed it would be relatively soon after the incident. It did not occur that way. The department did not take any steps to keep this public record any more secret than any other report related to a citizen’s behavior. We do not make a practice of calling people’s employers when we deal with them in public regardless of who we are dealing with. The level of detail in the officer’s report shows there was no attempt to cover it up either by the officer or the department.

Another criticism we’ve received as of late is related to the emails I received from Chief Fox. The emails from Chief Fox regarding the incident were sent to me when I was out of state on vacation. I did not reply in writing, instead I called him. As I have said from the beginning of this, and prior to the emails being released, I did speak with him over the phone and expressed my displeasure with the situation on several levels. Those emails were released to a member of the local media after a proper request for public information was made and not for any other reason. To suggest that because the emails exist, members of my department and I condoned the alleged behavior or are part of a conspiracy to cover it up is not an accurate account of the situation.

The Granby Police Department has consistently admitted that an arrest would have been preferred in this situation. It didn’t happen and we can’t change that. We have addressed the situation with our members. Our officer was placed in a difficult and stressful situation and made a decision. While that decision has led to some skepticism about what he or we didn’t do, we stand by his honesty and integrity for documenting what he did do and for removing any threat to public safety that may have existed.

As an employee of this police department for the last 19 years, as the Chief and as a resident I am proud of all the women and men of this department for continuing to professionally serve the Town’s residents with honesty and integrity. We have always strived to provide a high level of professional service and will continue to do so. We will not let one incident define who we are or effect the professional service we provide.

Alan Wishart

Chief of Police

Granby Police Department Press Release

Posted by Sgt O on 10 Sep 2015 | Tagged as: general

gpd-patch

September 9, 2015

The Granby Police Department recently released a police report that documented a motor vehicle stop which occurred in Granby in February of this year. The incident involved Chief Francis Fox of the Belchertown Police Department. This incident has brought up several questions from the press and the public alike.

The officer who stopped Chief Fox was placed in an awkward and compromising position. He made a discretionary decision in a stressful situation that involved a high ranking police official from another department. The officer called a supervisor after the incident was complete and documented the incident in a very detailed and specific manner. The department has reviewed the incident and spoken with the officer about our response. The report was initially released pursuant to a request for public information.

Neither the officer, nor the department has made any attempt to hide or minimize our actions on that day. The officer’s decision was based on prioritizing public safety. The report was made available at the first public request.

We understand the officer’s decision not to arrest Fox may not have been the preferred or even the popular method. He did however, locate the caller and vehicle, stopped it, removed the public safety threat and documented his actions thoroughly. He did so in a situation that involved an influential person in an uncomfortable and somewhat confrontational situation.

While the outcome of this incident is not perfectly in line with the preferred response to this type of situation, it is an example of how the Granby Police Department and its personnel have prioritized transparency in our operations.

The Granby Board of Health has issued the following Health Advisory

Posted by Sgt O on 02 Sep 2015 | Tagged as: general

red_warning_sign_2

9-2-15**Health Advisory

****Please be advised two (2) raccoons tested positive for rabies that were found at Dufresne Park. Please make sure that your pet is on a leash and DO NOT approach any wild life.****

Click on the website below to view information on rabies.

http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mass.gov%2Feohhs%2Fdocs%2Fdph%2Fcdc%2Ffactsheets%2Fp-r%2Frabies.doc&h=gAQE3h5nxAQG36UqGdTpZpyMcbFjDod9PY7AMNmSXVtzptQ&enc=AZNi6MLtPhSAMhUbebKhaLYF-Kc08hEZ1y9HNq57JjWHVejEVaFiP_otS6ZhJJBUjmq3JgFMme3626mwznPhQCbGijsyTu1Q4LEFa4qbD81cZNsZX5Gm2P5OWCdLoPRxueYLnEKxxp_5VSZbIT6-2wrELzPgC82uOASXkq5_Pk7oIvNRU94nUVeptCmXA5n5egkFNEXogPXib_gulA3tqpmZ&s=1